Ruin Lives
by Vespertine Noir
Summary: We live in an age where we cannot see past our own humanity. Beyond that shroud, an intricate network of two orders are sustained in perpetual feud. Now that vein of preternatural and humanity converge. A young lab assistant will come upon a discovery...
1. Skylights & Visage

A/N: I've been on like an Underworld binge for the past few weeks. Watching the movies back to back, simply out of shear curiosity. Mind you I've seen them before, but finally as of this year watched Rise of the Lycans. Now a little back story I felt that I would absolutely loathe the latter due to my neice bellowing that line "We can be slaves. Or we can be lycan" (however it goes) where ever she could be it bus or crowded area, the girl is slightly insane I tell you. So I am very enthralled, I love the mythos of it both vamp and lycan. I hope I can do it justice with my own interpretation/vision.

Summary: We live in an age where we cannot see past our own humanity. Beyond the shroud, an intricate network of two orders are sustained in perpetual feud. Now that vein of preternatural and human reality will converge. A young lab assistant will come upon a discovery that will unknowingly sway the foundation of both worlds. O/C

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**Chapter One**

"**Skylights & Visage"**

The world was always wet and dark. But it had finally penetrated into this refuge that I had once thought impenetrable. There had been an incessant downpour of rain for the past few days which had put a terrible mar on my plans. More intriguing yet, unintelligible dreams had come with the onslaught of rains, which symbolically couldn't mean anything good. Or simply I was looking for a morbid dirge to toll about my already depressing environment; I felt more secure in the latter. Sadly to admit, I was always sure to be my own patch of bleak lackluster.

I rolled over in the morass of cheerlessness to scowl at the alarm clock that had been a slave driver all its life. Of course, a few more minutes of precious dozing wouldn't be merited. "Shit." I folded my hands across my belly and contemplated not jumping from the warm bed unto the cold floorboards and into the even more frigid air. I made snow angels beneath my sheets just because silliness warranted its daily cup full of foolishness and warmth then unto those cold floorboards my toes wiggled. At least my feet had the decency to go numb whereas the higher altitude chill was unforgiving as I knew Angela was an untiring bitch.

By quarter to 8 I was half stuffed into my compact car with a coffee mug tucked into a fist and muttering _Shit_ all over again all the while rain lightly plastered everything about it. I was late. Again. Angela surely would have my ass. Not in the way I much preferred, but it was inevitable nonetheless. And yes I did make use of this tardiness by stopping at that store down the block to grab some of those sticky sticky buns that _were_ the shit.

~o~

I was met by a chilled air and freezing downpour but the cozy little nook within my tiny vehicle held humidity like a vise and caused beads of moisture to crest and hang gaily upon my nose and dampen my hair. Idly, I gazed at the Phoenix facility not quite wanting to enter. Within those walls I knew all my anxieties and fears couldn't be outrun any longer, places of retreat were slowly becoming uninhabitable. I had thought that maybe I had found a way to erase every minute ounce of self-doubt and loss. I was surely depressed. My face moved a mile a minute as I stuffed two sticky sticky buns into my mouth for a little motivation. Quickly I snatched up the manila folders, shielding them with my body as much as I could and ran out into the embittered downfall.

"Arezo, where the fuck have you been?" Curtis had his fingers imbedded into the fleshy part of my arm as soon as the sliding doors permitted me entrance. He made a motion as though to swallow his words and called for a little poise.

"Well hello to you too, Curtis." I unwound myself from his grip and shoved at his chest lightly. "I know, I know okay?"

He quickly tucked me into his office, looked both directions of the hallway before shutting the door. "Where is it?"

The rain had only done a small amount of damage to the folders thankfully, I held them out sheepishly. A couple of seconds of me standing there had me irritated to the point of sliding them across the desk. I folded my arms and waited.

Almost forgetting his hastened manner he removed his lab coat and sat at his desk, quietly cracking his knuckles and chewing at his tongue. "This is the last time I'm covering your ass chick."

"I didn't ask you to, last time I checked." I returned a little more sharpness than intended.

"Look, I won't even validate that with a comment." He flipped open the folder and fingered through the reports. "These were needed yesterday, Arezo. If you- never mind." He exhaled deeply, obviously decided to have changed the subject. "Here," he shuffled through the duffle bag at his feet to withdraw a white towel.

"Thanks for the pity," I loosely offered. "Forgot my umbrella. I keep on forgetting how much it can rain here." I patted gently at my face and the back of my neck, completely ignoring the chaos of my hair.

"Of all the days to be late you picked this day." Curtis literally sniffed at the air, locking in on the sticky buns. Within seconds he was a vulture set on the remnants of the half a dozen buns. "Hmm, sticky buns. Didn't know they had them here." His mouth was at pause mid chew, "Wait, you haven't you heard? Haven't you seen how ape shit everyone has been?"

My body was caught mid pat, I went over the last statement. "Well, I really wasn't noticing since I had my own personal ape on my back half stuffing me into his lair."

"Funny." A deep chuckle erupted from his throat as he returned to his feet, walked around his desk to brood in front of me. Gently his hands wandered about my hips and touched me with a kind of familiarity that had my knees faltering, not in a way that was flattering to either of us. It simply left me weary, tense. I followed suit and sat on his desk, staring back mutely, my mind trying to follow how far this would go.

We stayed like that for some time, waiting for the other to crumble in the shear intensity. He set both hands at my sides to calmly inch in, his breath hot at my neck. I turned away and maybe he took that as further enticement because his hands soon followed in pursuit to my legs.

"No," I firmly stated. But _No_ was too emasculating for an ego as for one of Dr. Curtis' caliber. His hands became far more ravenous, searching at my legs and inching further up my thighs. I shoved him harder at that. "Back. Off. Fucking Daddy's daughter won't get you any further up the ladder." My voice went deep with acidity. "And we do know _Daddy_ does have quite a lot of clout, whichever way the pendulum swings."

That was a bit crude for my taste but saving myself in the most dignified manner I could come out with was justifiable enough. I had no idea from where our relationship had changed course, to this kind of intimacy if what this was had a label. My mind tried to trace how his touches had become more lingeringly brazen and unashamed during the course of these past few weeks. I in no way was attracted to Dr. Curtis Ian. Some fault did fall on me though, with heat in my face I remembered a happy hour not that long ago where I was a little loose from drink, a time that I've literally sponged from my mind. If any misconceptions, I did not go home with him or vice versa, I more so was more flirtatious at the most, or least. Whichever.

Silence hung between us, forcing a sort of compliance to regain the other's composure. He wiped at his mouth with something close to humiliation lit in his eyes.

"Hmm," he turned away so I could reassemble my clothing. "So you haven't heard."

A few moments went on before I could form any kind of reply. "What's this wonderment that I'm supposed to have heard of?"

"Ah, so Angela didn't call then." He removed himself from the immediate vicinity completely, going to the recluse of his desk.

"There's a high possibility she might've but I had my phone off, and I left it home this morning."

"I called your house phone." He stated that as though that would have been the solution of solutions.

"Well you most likely wouldn't have reached me. I wasn't in the city, I was out in Wandsworth." I looked demurely down at my feet, shit I shouldn't be ashamed of my own obligations.

It appeared that during the course of the conversation that Curtis had felt his past transgression, which was really fresh mind you, was something of the past. Well much to his chagrin only one of us held to his absolution. But I fell silent, grateful to put that awkward moment behind me if only momentarily, not wanting to dwell on where it all might've led up to.

"Well what we found is gonna put us here on the map. _Pheonix-Randolph_ is going to give those arrogant bastards something to talk about."

"Curtis, what the hell are you talking about?" I stared at him stupidly.

"We found Big Foot."

~o~

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A/N: I have an incomplete view of where I envision this leading. Hope that you like. In the next few chapters I'll flesh out some characters that you might've come across ;) and hopefully you like that as well. As the plot develops you'll see the certain some one who this revolves around.


	2. Everything in Its Right Place

A/N: Oh yeah.. some language.

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**Chapter Two**

"**Everything in Its Right Place"**

I laughed dead in his face. The tight little lines that were finding refuge in his skin crinkled at his eyes and refused to come to ease. For a few seconds he didn't budge nor break his bluff in the least. "You're shitting me, right?"

He looked almost offended. "That's to be expected." His fingers ran through his hair and he tugged lightly at the roots, a long standing habit.

By this time I was clinging to his sleeve and peering up into his face. "Wait, you're serious."

A smile crept slyly across his face at the brief physical contact. "Very." He again went to his desk and retrieved his own file. "The cadavers came in overnight."

"Cadavers?" I folded my arms across my chest while bewilderment furrowed my brow. "Wait so you're telling me there's _more_ than one Big Foot? Like a litter or something?"

"No, not exactly," he snickered. "We've got several human cadavers and one colloquially correct Big Foot." I met him halfway in his transfer of papers to me. Curiosity was having all kinds of ways with me.

I flipped through the first few pages, "This is all medical lingo shit, just spill it."

His hand went to the small of my back and pushed me towards the door. "Let's walk and talk."

~o~

No doubt that by the time we hit the corridor I was hanging off his every word. I was undecided in my convictions as of yet as to whether or not Curtis had been relaying outlandish accounts. But I _could_ rely on that he was a straightforward man and I could not imagine him speculating something this farfetched; also, I couldn't see him pulling a practical joke on the job, this man would make no jest about his livelihood.

That kind of excitement was over as Angela, Coordinator Angela was right before us. Her bloodhound genes had her nose perked up in my direction much to my disfavor and caught wind of us, me. I was caught, mid position about to slink away.

Curtis elbowed me in the ribs hard and whispered under his breath, "I swear that bitch hasn't been nailed in all her life, such a fucking snob."

"Arezo." My head snapped in her direction, I believe it was just how her accent wrapped around it but I sure as hell hated my name every time she said it. I could even make out the invisible epilates adding esteem to her already very large head.

"Yes, Angela. Hmm, yes _Doctor_ Ford."

And let me have it did she. The three of us stood there for at least fifteen minutes as she basked in each second of my humiliation or the ultimate authority of her hand. She turned on her heel and suddenly as she had stormed in had exited. Maybe I had deservingly got my dish of inadequacies because after all I agreed that my work ethic had been slipping of late if not full blown sloppy by now. The truth of it was I was as qualified for my position as a dog could jump hoops. Someone like Curtis on the other hand, a former intern who was qualified out the ass was that bit much above me. The only reason why I had been where I am up to this day was that my father was extremely wealthy and his name was practically embossed on the building's exterior. He was the founder and funder of the institute.

"Wow," I breathed in relief. "Now that is over. I want to see it."

"Rezo, you know I can't do that. No, you cannot." He set his fists firmly on his hips. I knew Curtis, he was easily suggestible. I had only to push him a little further, he was wedged just where I wanted.

I had my own comeback, "I'm asking you as a favor. Now I can get what I want either way. Sign me over as your assistant, come on. I don't want to have to _really_ ask you." On any other day I would feel particularly terrible using Daddy's clout but not this one day. Yes, I could go about squealing that my father is _Phoenix_ and I can do shit well as I pleased, but where would that ball busting get me? Exactly. I wasn't here to be liked but it sure wouldn't hurt to be talked to either.

His fingers went through his dark, shaggy hair. "Shit, this is a bad idea. Well, I can't do anything right now. The cadavers have to go through preliminary clearing first before I can even touch it."

"How long's that gonna take?"

"It's not a fresh find. Hmm, we're talking about blood and tissue samples, autopsy, etc. I'd be shitting you if I said two weeks min." By the look on his face he had fully realized he was getting in much deeper than he had anticipated.

I wanted results. "Don't you have seniority over the other assistants? I mean you've been here for like five years already. What are you here for, decoration?"

"Shit, Rezo. I'm a fucking stuck in the chem. lab right now. Those fucks are just wanking me around. Angela-"

"Don't worry about Angela. You're a lab tech, can't you get in?"

"Exactly, the most I'll be getting to is a sperm sample. I don't know, okay." He pulled us into a walk. "I'll see if Tom needs an assistant. Most likely he'll be the pathologist leading the initial examination."

"I knew I didn't hate you for some reason."

"But one thing though. Keep your mouth shut." The severe shadowing his face chided my tongue. "I mean literally, no one, especially outside of the facility can know about this."

"I mean, how serious is it?"

"Look, the media is already going crazy over it. The tabloids are running Sasquatch prints." His voice dropped as we went by a few interns. "They don't know it's _here_ and I'll like it to stay that way."

"Wow, this is so surreal, I don't believe any of this is happening." I swiped my I.D. badge, the door chirped lightly and the automatic mechanics pulled the doors open to give us passage. "So you're saying you've seen it?"

"Not a chance. I've seen the bags rolling in. They're most likely in the morgue by now and seeing how chaotic this all is, we can't let them stay on ice for long."

"How did the facility get a hold of it? I-I mean we do have legal claim to it, right?"

He looked about us as though he were disclosing the secrets of life. "Come on, let's get to the lab."

We walked in silence from there on out. The lab was immaculate, top equipment scattered throughout. He ushered us into the Plexiglas office at the back. Again, he flipped through the report he had brought along with us.

"Sorry about that. Look at these." Three sheets were gently pushed over to my side of the desk.

"Satellite images." A cropped shot of Central Europe was shown.

"Yeah, that was taken by a connection of Phoenix's. Initially, it was intended as a rescue mission. A crew was sent in, that's when they discovered that was a little more than what was anticipated. In the salvaged wreck they could see that from the chopper to the suits, everything was unaffiliated. That's pretty much all that I was told. I've got a friend over at HQ."

"Wow, again." If shock wasn't written over my face then I don't know what the open mouthed gaps were all about.

"And don't even think you're off the hook. We've got a shit load of paperwork, which is in part your fault."

"What? Bullshit, Curtis."

"No, regardless we'll be here for a while anyway." Tenderly he inched around to start rubbing my shoulders.

"Seriously?" I gave him the vilest look I could conjure up.

He retreated with his hands up in the air in defense. "Not lying. All the employees in our department have a conference. Most likely it will be some kind of confidentiality agreement. Most of the other interns are being left in the wind. Except for you," he gave a magnificently charming grin "'cause you're with me. So I'll keep you posted."

"Sure thing Boss." He liked that.

"Wait, one thing I don't get. If you wanted to know what exactly is going on, why not ask him?"

I exhaled deeply, half out of exhaustion and the other not wanting to go down this route. "It's a long story, okay?" And thankfully that was enough to suffice his thirst of delving into my own personal hell.

"Well that's cool too." Quickly he moved in to give me a peck on the cheek. I couldn't help but smile at his persistence.

"I'm gonna let that one go. But try it again and I'll be forced to kung fu your ass all over these walls."

"Go out on a date with me." His gaze went heavy and his hands became playful, picking at his shirt and going through his hair in all nervousness.

"Oh, so someone has finally discovered asking for once."

"I mean if we're gonna do this we gotta do this right. I mean I can't have you all over me in my office every chance you get." He swatted at my arms lightly.

"Sorry, but I can't." I in no way felt terrible in shooting down this man.

He possessed all the positives strangely, for Curtis was intelligent and smart, handsome, funny… And believe it or not regardless of my at times blatant distaste for him we got along great, we clicked in a sort of way where we could simply talk for hours about nothing in particular. But on the other hand he held to his disgusting womanizing ways and often times repulsive perversity which made a "catch" like him totally overwhelming.

Yes, that was it what. I had been trying to figure it, _us_ out since the beginning of Curtis and his pursuit. And in addition to that, no prospective date or what he discerned as a girlfriend in his mind wanted to know about his sexual prevalence and tastes. No, I did _not_ want to hear about blow jobs and foot jobs or hear of any other girl in the matter. And I was probably the only girl or non weak chest intern he was not fucking.

He took that in his mind well. Or in consideration to his array of concepts, he took it well _enough_. "Can I take you out for lunch then? I mean cafeteria _here_ lunch. Not a _date_ date."

"As long as you're paying Curt." Yes, I was penny pinching at the moment. I really wanted to make my house inhabitable by fall at the latest. At the moment I had been driving over almost every weekend which sufficed to ensure that my house was not classified as "abandoned." This time a few months back I was sleeping on a mattress with poor heating but now proudly I owned full blown bedroom furniture (if a mere bed frame and a side table counted) _with_ poor heating. With everything so stressful and hectic I had been worn down to my wit's end between the commute between London and Wandsworth, vice versa. My apartment in the city was great yes, but I wanted somewhere that didn't reek of my father and his money. Mind you, I bought my own home out of pocket earned by me.

One thing greatly in one's favor of having at least one wealthy parent was he instilled in me the hunt and the means of growth essential to the kind of kill I was after. I started my own travel agency at fifteen and by nineteen there was good profit. At times I greatly considered selling and beginning something solely sprouted by me. I wanted out from my father's shadow, secretly. He might've guessed at it by now but we can't always get what we want.

He whistled. "Hey, where did you go off just now?"

"Sorry. But yeah, you're paying. I'm a husky eater."

He _psshed_, "You've got to be kidding me, your little self? Plus, I hear if a guy pays then it's a date."

"Well then, I must not be on your lines of communication my friend. But I guess it is what it is then. Thanks for the invitation of me eating you out of pocket and home."

His Adam's apple bobbed up and down softly and for the second time in the day the most attractive smile came over his face and lit up his green eyes. "Any day."

~o~

Curtis had not been lying when he made claim of his enormous stack of paperwork aka my fault. I had yet to figure out how that was my fault entirely, but I chucked it off as being their way of blaming all the shit they did wrong on us lesser folks aka us interns.

"Lunch, tomorrow?" Curtis inquired.

"Sure." We continued working calmly. He reworked samples. And I did reports, equipment prep and maintenance.

Out of sudden curiosity I turned to Curtis. "I'm just curious, but have you and uhm Angela ever… like did anything? I don't know but it can't just be _me_ you know. It's like every time she shows up out of some crevice me and you are always together. So that got me thinking… that maybe you know something was going on."

"Fuck you." I was half shocked at his shocked face. "I'm so insulted. Me," he touched his chest. "The extern turned lab tech? She'd do herself in first." And he was such a gossip. "I hear, or it seems to me she's into the taco."

"You're lying," I squealed in quasi delight.

"Total lesbian. And I truly feel sorry for their kind, Rezo. That bitch, I wouldn't claim."

The new tidbit of information was top of the list for "making my day" news. "Wow."

Curtis turned to me with warmth, "Gosh you know what? I can't wait to get back to the States."

"Wait, I thought you liked it here. Rain and Angela and all."

He wiped at his brow, "I mean yeah it is all good but home's home. I miss my drunken bastard family."

"Aww," I did the puppy dog eyes. "You're so cute when you're sentimental." I touched my fingertips to his face.

"Oh damn, not the puppy dog eyes. Come on," he swatted at me. "But I think I've saved up some vacation time so come summer I'm pissing it all away. I've been celibate way too long, I'm so horny."

Wow. "It's okay dear. Not the end of the world. Anyway, are we still on for the weekend? Paint my place?"

"Yeah, sure thing. Just make sure I'm well fed with beer."

Soon after we fell into our rhythm of silence. We worked well together, balanced and soothed one another.

~o~

I couldn't wait to wash the day's toll from my skin. That's all I could think of as I backed out of my parking spot and envisioned the drive home. Of course, I turned down Curtis' pleading for drinks because a nice hot shower and a warm, warm bed were far more enticing. The door swung open with a creek and I walked into a partially lit apartment, a light I didn't recall leaving on.

"Oh, shit." I sucked air in really deep and clung to my chest out of sheer fright.

There sat my father, as though he were far more familiar in my own home than me. It had been months since I had last set eyes on him. Theron Macon.

Without explanation or minute self chastisement of the intrusion into my home, he now stood before me to draw me into his arms. His lips touched at my hair and we stood like this for a time.

"I thought you were still in Asia," I grumbled into his chest. All my previous irritations had slowly begun to evaporate.

He disentangled me from his hug. "I was actually in Venice and decided it was due time for my return. Missed my girl."

"And it has nothing to do with Big Foot on the slab, right?" Recalling my conversation with Curtis I decidedly felt I should call him on his blatant bullshit. He was an opportunist, as was I. I folded my arms, so much for paternal bonding.

He totally disregarded my question as his fingers touched my damp hair, "How's your mother?"

In response I swatted at his affections. I was _really_ pissed off. "I haven't heard from you in over six months, scratch that going on eight. And you show up out of the blue. I'm sorry this isn't the kind of warm hearted welcoming you had in mind Father, but you are not getting away with this one." Not in a few hundred dreams had I expected him to be here. When he was in attendance in his fatherly duties I was preparing myself for him to leave. It were as though he needed to be absent as much as I wanted for him to be with me, maybe his notion was simply that with absence he was merely securing a deep devotion and love that could only be inspired with rarity. I hated him for it.

A sigh escaped his lips then ran his fingers through his almost platinum blond hair. Slowly he took off his blazer. "Well, I suppose this was unavoidable."

"Yes, it is." I took up the discarded jacket from the loveseat and placed it on the coat rack by the door.

He looked good. Wherever he had been, the sun had done him well and reinvigorated the natural tanned hue that always clung to his skin. Looking at us, there wasn't any indication that he was my father. He wasn't. I guessed by now everyone knew that for it was quite obvious.

"It's not easy for me Arezo. I'm giving you your space. You've made it clear that you want your independence."

"Bullshit Macon." I always called him by that whenever I was extremely angry. "Me wanting independence doesn't validate an absentee father. I've already had one in my life I don't need or want for another." I had gone too far, I could see the hurt in his face and I held my own hurt in what I caused him. "Sorry."

"You're angry. It's understandable."

"No, I don't want you to understand. Step in, yell at me. Something!" I wept silently. I mourned the chasm of disconnection between us, that we were never really a family.

Again he pulled me closer and hugged all the pains away. "Now, how's your mother?"

He certainly knew how to break the mood. My mother was an entirely different demon. "Vacationing. With Kenneth. You should really call her if you want to keep tabs, Daddy. I'm not much of a sleuth when it comes to keeping up with her. Do you want something to drink?"

"No I'm fine," he tucked his hands into his pockets. We were both so much alike it scared me often. "How's the new house?"

I ventured to the back and combed through my refrigerator. Over my shoulder I called, "It's good. Everything is going fine. I want to paint this weekend, but I have no idea how that's going to come about the more I think of it."

Regardless of his answer I handed him water.

"I'll send someone over."

"Really, I'm fine." I guzzled at a bottle of mineral water.

"I know, okay? It's a gift, no strings attached as with the moving costs."

When combating his prowess in persistence and aptitude for persuasion I knew this battle was something I could not win. I gave in, "Thanks." At least another ape was off my back.

"When might she return?"

I smiled a big toothy grin at his boyishness regardless of our momentary differences. So we were back to that? I laughed inwardly, it was so very evident. He had a thing for my mother. "I don't think this one's going to last. In my opinion she doesn't like any of them, you'll get your chance." He totally had the hots for my mother the present look on his face betrayed him to the core.

He was young, another giveaway we weren't connected, well on the other hand could've been feasible but not too likely in his case. For always I would love and be grateful to him for adopting me, in that bond we had found a solace in what had been missing for so long. I was fatherless and he was pioneering through this world childless as he was lonely. My mother and I provided that completion. He had something that he couldn't afford to mess up, he had changed so much, and the playboy lifestyle was done with. Here stood before me Theron Macon, an enigma in his own rite. He was a young multi-millionaire, one that was possibly close to the billion dollar mark, a philanthropist, ambassador to the third world, and artist.

"So what's this whole whooplah with Big Foot?" I took another deep drink. "I'm hungry, do you feel like take out?"

~o~

We ate and chatted over noodles, stir fry, and General Tso's chicken. He was extremely evasive, something which told more that he would voice.

I broke into an egg roll. "So how's the PR front?"

Between mouthfuls of noodles he touched upon the safe zones, "We are trying to do damage control. It's all been hush as we speak and currently we have yet to disclose the location of the cadaver."

"So the more important question is do you have control over it, _legally_?" That had been troubling my mind the entire time.

"Well we're also working on that. The outlook is optimistic though since the negotiations of the past week are in our favor and Phoenix has offered a very liberal settlement."

Money did get you into a lot of places. I was left wondering as to how much of it my father would slough off to have his way. The light that shone in his eyes, I had seen it before quite a few times when he had been so impassioned in his pursuits. A determined sick would creep into his skin, making him unable to function until the ambition had been carried out. He held multiple lucrative multi-million companies globally, it very well appeared that they were simply an ends to a means for his pet projects. Charity, he lived and thrived through it. At times such verve was frightening and it led me to believe there was something he was atoning for. Phoenix-Randolf was the third branch in his medical research chain. I admired him in his madness though, he was very effective.

These were the times that I cared for the most, where we spoke of trivial things of the world that didn't matter in _our_ world. We knew besides the waste and excess, the obligations, wealth we had each other. It was in the togetherness after all that the decadence had been fleshed out that we found our solidarity in the other. I knew that as the plain fact that one place could not seize my father and put a fire in him that would compel him to stay, he'd be gone by tomorrow or possibly within the next few days that followed. That's how he operated he had exorcised ancient demons just to pick up a few stragglers in tow. That's what had kept him running for all these years, he was present just in the most opportune moments but somewhere inside I feared deeply he was now running away from me. I feared that he was now foregoing being the father I wanted so badly, and now that same fear had manifested into a craving to extricate myself from his shadow, when I wanted to do quite the opposite.

~o~

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A/N: So this is a "big" post, I hope you like. I think I'll write more lengthy for as long as I can curb my attention span.


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